This application claims the priority of German patent document 100 25 035.1, filed 20 May 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a sound absorbing arrangement in a fuel cell system.
Noise emission occurs in various regions of fuel cell systems, particularly in pipelines of fuel cell systems which operate with air-fans, such as Roots blowers or Wankel compressors. Noise emissions of this nature are undesirable, particularly when the fuel cell system is used in a vehicle or in an installation in which noise emissions are disruptive.
It is known to reduce noise emissions in vehicles using silencers, such as suction silencers or final silencers.
One object of the invention is to provide a fuel cell system with reduced noise emissions.
This and other objects and advantages are achieved by the fuel cell system according to the invention having at least one fuel cell, and sound-absorbing means arranged substantially at regions of the air section at or in which a noise emission is generated. It is expedient to provide sound-absorbing means at the inlets and outlets of the sound source. The sound-absorbing means are particularly preferably designed as broadband silencers.
The particular advantage of the sound absorbent arrangement according to the invention is that the sound is deadened at the locations at which it is produced. As a result, smaller components can be used for sound absorbing, and bulky final silencers can be eliminated. This is particularly beneficial when the fuel cell system according to the invention is used in a vehicle, in which there are considerable restrictions in terms of the space available. Furthermore, the acoustic impression provided by a fuel cell system or vehicle of this type is significantly improved. The use of broadband silencers makes it possible to expediently deaden units with wide frequency spectra of noise emission.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.